Here’s How Long the macOS High Sierra Update Takes

The macOS High Sierra update is big, but the longest part of the upgrade is the installation for most users. If you’re prepared, the new upgrade shouldn’t take too long to install on your MacBook, MacBook Air, iMac, MacBook Pro or other Mac.

Apple’s High Sierra update is out today with plenty of new features for your Mac. This will help you do more without buying a new Mac and it can help your Mac and iPhone work together better. If you install iOS 11, you will want to strongly consider this update.

The macOS High Sierra update is large, and you may see an even larger update size if you are not coming from macOS Sierra. One of the most common questions is, “how long does the macOS High Sierra update take to finish?”

If you decide to install macOS High Sierra today, you will likely run into longer download times as Apple’s servers need to handle a ton of users all attempting to download the upgrade. Plan to set aside a little bit of time for this update, during which you cannot use your computer.

Task

Time

Backup to Time Machine (Optional)

5 minutes to a day

macOS High Sierra Download

1 hour and 15 minutes to 4 hours.

macOS High Sierra Installation Time

30 to 45 minutes

Total macOS High Sierra Update Time

1 hour 45 minutes to four hours

We don’t know exactly how long your macOS High Sierra update will take since download times will vary based on your Internet connection and based on your device. We can help outline the most likely time you need to complete the upgrade.

One of the biggest factors will be if you are prepared for the macOS High Sierra update with a Time Machine backup. If not, that could take a long time to complete. Below you can see how much time you should plan on for each of the main steps that you need to take to install High Sierra.

This takes a little longer, especially if you don’t have a Time Machine backup that is current, but it is something you should do unless you have another backup strategy in place.

macOS High Sierra Download Time

Count on a lengthy macOS High Sierra download time.

The biggest wild card is how long the macOS High Sierra download takes. This will vary based on your Internet connection and on the number of people trying to download the update when you are.

It’s nothing to see the update time remaining jump from an hour to eight hours and back to an hour during the first day or two of the release. Plan to spend at least an hour on this, possibly longer.

You can keep using your Mac while you download macOS High Sierra.

macOS High Sierra installation Time

This is the last screen you will see before the macOS High Sierra install finishes.

The macOS High Sierra installation time should take about 30 to 45 minutes to complete if everything works right. This assumes that nothing goes wrong and is a best case scenario.

The computer will restart multiple times and you will see different countdowns showing you how long is left. You’ll see different countdowns and when you see Completing Installation: About 10 minutes remaining you should be on your last part of the installation. You cannot use your Mac while the installation is taking place.

9 Things to Do Before Installing macOS High Sierra

Learn About macOS High Sierra

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Apple announced macOS High Sierra in June, but it is just now coming out to your Mac. If you haven't investigated this update much, now is a good time to learn more about the major upgrade coming to your Mac.

The macOS High Sierra update adds a good number of new features, a ton of fixes and changes how your Mac and iPhone interact when it comes to photos.

If you are anything like us, some of these new macOS features will excite you, and others will annoy you. Before you start the download and install macOS High Sierra, you should learn more about it.